


The Liar's Chair

by seizure7



Series: Unspeakable Company (discont.) [3]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Lovecraftian, M/M, Ragnarok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-05
Updated: 2012-11-07
Packaged: 2017-11-18 01:17:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/555276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seizure7/pseuds/seizure7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(This is the 3rd installment of the "Unspeakable Company" series.)</p><p>The God of Mischief's sole task was to eliminate Thanos. Desperate and hungry for absolute vengeance, he allied himself with the Ancient Abominations of the Realm Beyond. But the price is steep. In exchange for power Loki must completely embrace his destiny as the eventual bringer of Ragnarok.</p><p>However an unexpected twist sends Loki off into the deep end and the relationship he has with Tony Stark begins to change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to Vilefangirl for being my co-pilot. The title of this work is inspired by [Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go)

One year ago, Thor brought his glowering brother back to Earth. Loki looked far less psychotic compared to his last visit... so he just looked plain dangerous. 

Everyone protested but the God of Thunder would have none of it, “My brother has honorably paid for his misdeeds against both Jotunheim and Asgard... it is now Midgard’s turn to receive proper compensation. There is a greater threat upon the horizon and it is now his duty to completely eliminate it. Worry not for your safety, my friends, for my brother is bound to this task by the power of Odin,” Thor pointedly looked to Loki as he continued to speak, “If he were to break certain rules, the consequences will be swift and _immediate._ ”

To most of the people in the room, Loki looked like the dictionary definition of disdainful. But Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark immediately recognized the mad, carnal hunger that glittered in his eyes. The God was not here to fulfill his duty or to restore Asgard’s honor: he was here purely for revenge.

Though they wrongly assumed that the Avengers were target of Loki’s seething wrath.

In the first week the God laid claim to an empty floor and kept his business to himself. To Tony’s immense irritation the trickster sweet talked JARVIS into disabling his floor’s video surveillance. It was hard for the engineering genius to accept it. This was HIS technology, this was HIS baby and everything was compromised by exactly 34 minutes and 20 seconds of pure conversation. Absolutely no magic was involved and Tony could not decide if that pissed him off or not.

 

_“Loki Liesmith has yet to show any sign of malicious intent to any of the occupants of this building. Even to you, sir, despite how often you manage to annoy him.”_

“And you would know this because...?”

_“According to my observations, Mr. Liesmith’s body temperature drops exactly 5 degrees whenever he feels threatened or severely murderous.”_

“Huh. Good to know.”

 

It took Loki the next month to open up a little. Soon it became normal to see the God immersed in ancient tomes or fiddling around with arcane artifacts in the common living area. In fact every time he was seen by another Avenger, he was busy working. Everyone chalked it up to a carefully deliberate attempt at manipulation... but no one denied that his actions set them more at ease.

Despite what Loki did to JARVIS, Tony was the first to warm up to him. The genius was all too familiar with Loki’s intense brand of concentration, he completely understood that deadly drive. (For Tony: Afghanistan would always be a vivid memory.) So one night he passed Loki a glass of scotch. The God did not look up from reading but his fingers brushed against the mortal’s as he wordlessly accepted the drink.

A month turned into two. By then Tony, Bruce and Steve had made their peace, Natasha and Clint were still on edge, but the loudest continual voice of dissent came from none other than Nick Fury. No one could really blame him, however Thor’s patience with the director finally wore thin.

It took a visit to Asgard and an audience with a renowned Cosmic Historian to change his mind. Though perhaps the method was a little _too_ effective because Nick Fury returned with a severely haunted 1000-yard stare.

Tony silently offered him a drink. Fury took it with a weary growl.

 

“Fine. Loki stays.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chronologically speaking, what happens in-between Chapter 1 and 2 of this fic is: 
> 
> 1) [Vanity Flair](http://archiveofourown.org/works/543787)  
> 2) [ Thou Hast Made a Valiant Effort](http://archiveofourown.org/works/552847/chapters/985140)  
> 3) [Tantrum](http://archiveofourown.org/works/552839)  
> 4) [Unspeakable Company](http://archiveofourown.org/works/543804) (warning: sexual content and dark!Loki)  
> 5) [The Breath of Ghosts](http://archiveofourown.org/works/553499/chapters/986374) (warning: sexual content and dark!Loki)
> 
> These works are optional, but they will help you understand the complete nature of Loki and Tony's relationship.  
>  **Especially 4 & 5\. These two are extremely critical reads.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to Vilefangirl for being my co-pilot. The title of this work is inspired by [Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go)

It had been a year since Fury finally gave in.

Somewhere in Iceland, Loki rose from a dense swirl of otherly magic. Inky shadows slid off him in thick trails as he opened his eyes. The God exhaled out in a low hiss of breath as he rolled his head and flexed the muscles of his pale neck. He carded his fingers through his hair and duly noted it had grown a few inches.

 

Oh. That was a rather long visit.

 

Time was such a mercurial thing in the Realm Beyond and in the Spaces In-between the Dark. Sometimes a single month in Midgard translated into ten to twenty years in the other dimension. By Loki’s calculations his body and soul was now older than Thor’s. This little twist of a paradox amused him greatly. The God of Thunder might be the firstborn but he was no longer the oldest brother.

Suddenly in his head he picked up the faint chitterings of laughter, the flex of a thousand scaly limbs and the croaking whispers of a language so arcane and so blasphemous... a single sentence could permanently damage a mortal soul (the flimsy things).

Loki tutted. It was not unusual for the Lesser Servants of the Dark to sink their many claws into him in an attempt to invade a new dimension. It was in their nature and Loki would always forgive them. But this time the thorny grip of their Influence was stronger, deeper. Their hold upon him was greater than he had anticipated.

He was annoyed but at the same time he was immensely flattered. The Servants and the Influence belonged to none other than the Ancient Abomination who graciously became his patron. It was the One who treated him dearly as if the God of Mischief were his own favoured spawn. It was the One who reached out its many limbs to catch him after his fall from the Bifrost. It was the One who tenderly cradled Loki’s broken body and fed him the secret histories of the multi-verse. It was One who opened its many mouths to wail in fury when the servant of Thanos snatched Loki away. It was the One who welcomed him back into the Dark. It was the One who skinned seven of their own limbs to fashion the dark armor that Loki wore with pride.

It was the One who told him of Ragnarok and of his destiny.

It was the One who now possessed the soul of Thanos’s Chuatari leader. Loki smiled fondly as he remembered personally feeding the pathetic alien to his Patron. It was a glorious day for the two of them.

The sounds in his head churned and trilled with dark excitement but Loki silenced them with a regal glare. It was too soon for the One and the rest of the Ancients to invade the Nine Realms. Loki had much to do before he’d allow the universe to burn away.

Loki sighed. The sovereign hive-mind of his Patron understood Loki’s desire and bestowed their blessing upon him. It was just their lesser spores, sister spawn and minor servants that tended to forget Loki’s wishes in their eagerness.

_“Forgive me, my darling brothers and sisters and all those that fall in-between,”_ he whispered in the Forbidden Tongue, _“This realm is not yet ripe enough for your many teeth.”_

Now it was time to banish them and as always Loki teleported away to find his favourite dimensional anchor.

 

The Midgardian hero: Tony Stark.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to Vilefangirl for being my co-pilot. The title of this work is inspired by [Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go)

“I tire of waiting,” stated Loki.

He was draped over a couch in Tony’s penthouse. He closed his eyes. The Dark Influence’s eager scratching and hissing was beginning to grate at his nerves.

Tony’s voice spoke though the room’s speakers, “I’m sorry honey. I’m doing overtime,” in the background the repulsors of the Iron Man suit trilled and fired at random intervals, “Come on babe, we have bills to pay, super heroes with crazy appetites to feed and raise... just think of all your shopping sprees!”

There was a loud explosion, “Black Chanel nail-polish ain’t cheap.”

“Cease your inane chatter,” Loki rolled his eyes. _(Buy **one** $30 bottle and no one lets you forget it.)_ “If you are not here within five minutes, Stark, I will seduce one of your worst arch-enemies and I will fuck them on your very bed. I will make lots of noise and I will have JARVIS record everything.”

“Then I hope you both have a splendid time because all my arch enemies are all at least five months deceased.”

“Liar.”

“Well, they’re either dead or ugly as sin... and we both know how shallow your tastes are, my dear.”

The God crossed his arms and fought down a smile. _(Oh, how he had missed their verbal duels and Tony’s cheeky banter.)_ “Come home to me, Stark,” he drawled.

“Damnit, Loki. Don’t use that voice on me, I’m fighting here! I don’t need to think about what I’d like you to do to my-“

Tony’s voice was cut off by whip-like crack of white noise... then JARVIS began to stutter.

_“UnUSUAL i-interference deteeeec-ted. AliEN in origin. E. E. E-evasive security proOti-cals. I-Iron. MANSUIT. Com-primsed- I’msorrySir-I’mSORRYSIR. S-Systems shUtting dOwn.”_

Loki was gone before the AI even finished speaking.

 

* * *

 

An intense battle raged in Central Park.

Luckily Iron Man touched down safely before his suit’s systems went completely offline. Tony cursed quietly in his head. There were two things he absolutely hated:

  1. **Magic:** Tony felt personally insulted by anything that defied the laws of physics with no proper explanation.
  2. **Alien Technology that Belonged to the Bad Guys:** To think of all those wonderful innovations and potential applications that were completely wasted on developing weapons of massive destruction and dick moves... it was an utter crime. _In the name of science, Tony Stark will reverse-engineer, you!!!_ (Yes, that was a Sailor Moon reference. No, he was not sorry.)



He figured the strange energy blast he was hit with was a probably mix of both. Magic tended to leave a strange aftertaste in the air. Tony cursed, he needed to some how find and make his way to-

The man suddenly stilled as he heard the faint rustle of footsteps approaching him from all sides.

Well. **Fuck.**

Before he could begin to panic a series of snapping sounds and sick crunches came from around him. Tony paled, he was regretfully familiar with the sharp sound a of twisted neck. Holy shit- to hear so many in such a short span of time... he felt sick to the stomach.

_(I am NOT going to pop ANY bubble-wrap or microwave popcorn after this is over.)_

Loki strode out of the shadows with a purposeful intensity. Tony’s mouth went dry. He was speechless. The God was dressed in a black set of armor he had never seen before.

It was far more form fitting than his usual garb. There was odd something about its design that made it look both refined yet savage. The metal of his shoulder pieces and chest plate glinted with an ominous shine that made Tony’s gut curl uncomfortably. He wisely turned his attention to Loki’s sleeves and gauntlets. They were scaly plates that encased his arms with disconcerting anatomical perfection. The leather of his gloves and pants was part reptilian, part insectoid. The usual green cape and gaudy horned helmet was completely absent from this assemble.

As Loki stepped closer it became apparent that ever piece of metal was lavishly carved with obtuse patterns and shapes of such strange geometry... it would have given M.C. Escher a mental breakdown and a trip to the nearest asylum.

Tony’s gaze roamed downwards- _oh sweet mother of civilization..._

_(“I am a size 12 and ½.”)_

Loki was wearing the leather knee-high boots Tony had personally gifted him.

A deeply mischievous smirk tugged the corner of the God’s lips. A golden light shimmered over Loki’ face and a familiar brass nest-like mass materialized. The metal was splattered with dark specks of some sort of dried liquid.

A spontaneous revelation surfaced into his thoughts. It was blood, alien blood.

_(“It was nothing much... I just dragged a soul through a portal and into the realm where the Ancient Beings of Abominations reside, where his soul will be torn and unmade for the rest of eternity," Loki leaned down to kiss Tony on the cheek and his voice dropped to a low, sultry whisper, "I can still hear the echoes of his screams.")_

“Uh... Hello honey-“

Before he knew it, Loki teleported them. They landed in time to witness Thor finishing off a dozen or so aliens.

Despite the fact that the God of Thunder was splattered with blood, he looked like Christmas had come early, “BROTHER! You’ve come to aid us?”

Loki sneered, “Recharge this mortal’s incompetent suit of armour with your hammer. Thor.”

The God vanished.

 

Around them a cacophonic symphony of unearthly screams commenced.

 

* * *

 

Loki had cast a magnetic teleportation spell, so that automatically each tumble through the fabric of the Realm’s dimension sent him within five metres of a random enemy. A never ending supply of vicious black knives slid into his hand as soon as he threw them. Loki soon lost himself in a tangled dance of slicing and stabbing and throwing in-between his rapid jumps.

He was cruel, quick and efficient for he did bother not stay back to survey his handiwork.

Every single blade he summoned was fashioned from the dark shell of his Patron Abomination. As soon as they sunk into any living flesh the knife would awaken. Teeth, spikes and various other nightmarish limbs would erupt from the parasitic blade. They would thrash and tear and claw at the insides of their victims... then their many mouths would open they would feast (usually while the victim was still alive.) Once they were finally satisfied, the appendages would melt away to return to their Sovereign. Their many bellies full with offerings of flesh.

It was a terrible way to die and a frighteningly stylish way to kill.

Loki was done in seven minutes. The merciless God left absolutely no survivors.

As silence fell onto Central Park, Loki paused to survey his work. He indulged himself with an immensely satisfied smile before he teleported back to Tony.

 

* * *

 

“BROTHER,” Thor rushed to him, his voice was brimming over with anguish, “What dark manner of sorcery have you lost yourself to?” Loki had popped in-front of them several times to slaughter every enemy who came within a ten meter range. Thor and Tony could only stand and watch in horror as the God of Mischief fought with a sick look of triumph on his face.

“I only do what I must, Thor,” droned Loki. Despite the fact that his hands were gloved, the God inspected his nails in a deliberate show of boredom.

“Is this pursuit of Thanos worth such a price?” Thor stepped forward to gasp the side of Loki’s neck, there was a hard shine in his eyes, “ _Please_ listen to me, I beg of you! My brother... you do not have to do this alone! Together we can-“

Loki’s gaze flickered up to meet Thor’s, “I refuse. This game of war is mine and mine alone.” Then he vanished only to reappear in front of Iron Man.

His gloved hand pressed against the mark VII’s chest and the mage _walked forward_. Tony was effortlessly ghosted out of his armor.

 

“HEY-“

 

His protests were cut short when his mouth was captured in a slow, hard kiss.

Thor began to shout something but it was too late- Loki and Tony vanished.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to Vilefangirl for being my co-pilot. The title of this work is inspired by [Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go) If you haven't listened to this song. You should. It is quite relevant.

The two men reappeared in Tony’s penthouse, their mouths still locked together. Arms wry with muscle snaked around Tony’s waist and he moaned.

Loki’s lips were cold, cold like the unforgiving void of space. His tongue was freezing, freezing like the curling darkness that laid in-between the stars. His teeth were icy, icy like shards of permafrost on a dead planet. A shiver trickled down Tony’s spine like liquid mercury when he realized that Loki’s mouth tasted like absolutely nothing.

He quickly quelled his discomfort and kissed back even harder.

By Earth’s standards Loki had been gone for five weeks, three days and two hours _(not that Tony was counting... not that Tony had a timer app on his Stark Phone just to keep track of the weeks/days/hours that passed.)_ But there was no telling how much time had truly passed for Loki for it was a strange and different beast in the Realm Beyond. Nonetheless this was his longest disappearance to date and the side-effects were beyond anything Tony had ever seen. The mortal was the God’s most reliable dimensional anchor and the sooner they banished the Darkness... the better. (Desperately Tony tried to push the fucked up shit from Central Park out of his mind. It was just a fluke. It was just a fluke.)

When they finally parted Loki’s sharp gaze raked down his chest then to his arms. The God’s hand glided to up grasp the firm swell of his deltoid, “This shirt is quite fetching on you, Stark.” Another hand grasped the side of Tony’s neck- it was the same gesture Thor regularly used on Loki.

Tony swallowed, _okay that was funny._ Loki had never done that before. His actions seemed more affectionate than usual-

His thoughts were banished when the God grinded against him with a simply obscene moan. A strong hand roamed down to squeeze Tony’s behind.

 _-aaand_ now they were back to their regularly scheduled programming.

As Loki stripped Stark of his top the severity of the mortal’s injuries soon became apparent. The God ran a hand down the Tony’s bruised torso. He was such a fragile thing. Loki’s brow furrowed. Intervening Stark’s battle was indeed a wise decision.

At that moment an old impulsive idea resurfaced and Loki thought: _Why not throw the dog a bone?_ He smiled a smile so benevolent, so gentle; it would have put Virgin Mary to shame.

 

"... How would you like an apple, Stark?"

 

For a second, Tony was speechless as he registered the true significance of Loki’s question. Then the mortal cracked a brittle, broken smile.

 

"No, Loki."

 

_(Suddenly the God remembered a soft tired eye- those two words piercing through the howling wind- the flutter of capes that whipped about like the blazing banners of war- the stars and nebulas that funneled away into a twisting vortex- the feel of metal sliding away from his hand as he released his grip- the cold sensation of free fall-)_

Loki's anger abruptly flared like a supernova at the echo of that far distant memory. (A thousand ravenous clicks and hisses rose up to feast upon his fury.) The reality around him began to distort and warp, shadows started to pool towards Loki’s feet as he looked down upon the mortal who rejected Loki’s offering of immortality and God-hood.

His voice was a low and dangerous whisper, " _Why._ "

(Power.

Strength.

**Eternity.**

All of this would be granted by a single piece of fruit.)

Tony replied evenly, "I don't want it."

Loki flinched. The mortal’s unexpected words stung. They hurt more than Loki would ever admit.

He had never felt so insulted in his entire life. Loki’s eyes narrowed and he tilted his head to the side. His voice was soft with outrage, "Tony Stark... you _dare_ to refuse the generosity of a _God_?"

“Loki,” Tony stood his ground as he tried to ignore the sharp surge of the Dark. "I'm not going to be your chew toy until the end of time,” the mortal firmly held the God’s furious gaze.

The God always banished the Dark Influence as soon as he returned from the Beyond- never had he fully unleashed his gifted powers in front of Tony... never had he killed anything with such vicious relish. Tony felt sick. He remembered the dreams that visited him at night...

“Did you think the Darkness of the Beyond is fully contained in you?” Tony whispered as his disappointment morphed into anger, “Your shitty _friends_ have been invading my goddamn dreams nearly. Every. Single. Night. I can’t sleep. But when I do I get nightmares. They tell me things I never even _wanted_ to know about. I didn't believe them... not until tonight,” Tony could not hold back any longer. The dam had broken and he found he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop.

“They told me you're-" Tony’s chest heaved with effort (he could feel the familiar weight of the ARC reactor embedded in his sternum.) Finally he managed to spit his words out,

 

"You are _**Ru'ts Tla'k**_.”

 

The syllables of the Forbidden Tongue burned like acid in his mouth and in his heart.

Loki stilled. _(Another ugly truth exposed and it hurt as much as the first time. Oh that single tired eye-)_ For a brief second a look of panic darted over the God’s face before his expression became blank and unreadable.

Something in Tony snapped at Loki’s silence.

_(This goddamn fucker wasn’t even going to deny it-)_

“They didn’t just tell me their little _pet name_ for you. They told me you're the First fucking Spark of Ragnarok and-” Tony barked out a slightly unhinged laugh as he stepped back to look completely at Loki, whose body was clad in Eldritch armor, “... Just look at you... _You’re proud of it_ , you SICK bastard. Can’t you see you’re IN OVER YOUR HEAD? AGAIN?”

(Tony continued to plow forward. There was no going back now. Tony remembered what he saw through the Tesseract’s portal... and he remembered everyone and everything he cared about on this little blue dot of a planet. He remembered admiring the Hubble Telescope’s wondrous photos of deep space. To think that one day EVERYTHING would all be wiped from the face of existence...)

A new surge of anger welled up in Tony’s throat. It tasted like bile.

(To think everything would be gone someday, all thanks to this selfish asshole’s stupid whims.)

“If I eat that apple... I'm either gonna have to live to see you fuck up completely or watch you burn the whole fucking universe down,” Tony’s voice dripped viciously with sarcasm, “So excuse me for turning down your _oh-so-generous_ offer."

Loki’s patience finally snapped. He stalked forward and snarled, “Who are you to judge how I exercise my destiny, you _ignorant_ mortal? You do not even know the true nature of my fate. But I will have you know that I have held the power to bring the fires of Ragnarok down upon us for a _very_ long time.”

 

“Everything continues to stand simply because **_I ALLOW IT_**.” Loki bellowed.

 

Then quick as a viper, the God had Tony’s throat in a crushing grip, “Since you know exactly what I am capable of then you know that any act of kindness I bestow upon you is a very **rare** thing. You should be groveling at my feet and overcome with gratitude at my offer. You pathetic mortal, you could have stood beside Gods.”

_(You could have stood beside **me.** )_  
 _(I would have given you **true** eternity.)_  
 _(For as long as I wake with you beside me; I would think of Ragnarok and I would think, **“Not today.”** )_

Loki squeezed Tony’s windpipe even harder. His voice trembled with undiluted rage, “I will make you regret your defiance, Stark. By the time I am done with you... you will be _begging_ to lick the rotten scraps of Idunn's fruit off the heel of my boot."

Tony laughed, loud and harsh (Loki ignored how his chest clenched at the sound.) The mortal’s mouth spread into an audacious, shit eating grin,

 

"Fuck. You. Loki. I'd rather **die.** "

 

Loki surged forward and crashed their lips together into a violent mockery of a kiss, "Do not push me, Stark. Do not continue to defy me."

_(Do not continue to deny me.)_

Tony replied, "Or what?"

"Or... I will have to teach you a very..."

Loki lifted Tony by the neck and slammed him against the wall,

"very..."

He ground his hips against the mortal's. Tony inhaled sharply.

“very...”

His movement was as smooth as sin.

" _very_ , nasty lesson."

 

“I still don’t want it.”

 

Loki froze, "...What."

Tony inhaled then exhaled, "I said: I still don't want it. Now get out."

"You _dare_ to command me?"

Tony gently cupped Loki's face with his hands (the God flinched if he'd been slapped) the mortal continued, his voice was soft but it was laced with cyanide, "I want you to get. Out. Of. My. Sight. You can come back once you've calmed the **fuck** down."

 

This. Mortal.

This utterly _infuriating_.

Petty.

STUPID.

DEFIANT.

_WORTHLESS._

**_MORTAL._ **

 

Loki quivered with pure fury.

Tony’s hands fell back to his sides but he stayed silent. His lovely brown eyes were bright and his gaze was unwavering despite the fact that his air supply was growing thin.

( _Oh._ This one had heart. So... _so_ much heart. More heart and more strength than a monster could ever hope to deserve.)

With a hissing intake of breath, Loki released him and darted a few steps back. Tony collapsed to his knees, gasping for air but he still did not break eye contact.

Before Loki could restrain himself a frustrated, snarling, wordless scream ripped itself from his throat. His chest ached as he emptied out his lungs and poured out his last breath of air into sound. He made his own ears ring.

When he opened his eyes he was utterly disgusted by the look on Tony’s face.

It was pity.

Loki was a _God_ : a mighty and immortal GOD.

 

Gods. Were. NOT. _PITIED. BY. **MORTALS.**_

 

To his horror, Loki realized his right cheek was wet. He turned away to stare blankly at nothing. Something deep inside of him broke. Then something else inside of him shut down.

_He had to get out. He had to go, leave, anywhere, anywhere would do but here. Away from Stark. Away from that look. Away from that heart. He had to get out and he had to get out NOW._

He stood still as his magic viciously shred and tore through the fabric of reality to wrap around him like a tight cocoon. Loki closed his eyes and teleported in a violent gale of energy. A symphony of chittering voices enveloped him like an ocean’s all encompassing roar.

 

Loki was gone.

 

He left a dark scorch mark where he once stood.


End file.
